v12horse

Hello Alan, My car has the more modern inertia real system, for me it is fine, but when my girlfriend puts the seat all the way forward the shoulder belt restricts her. When I say it restricts her I mean she cannot not move around at all. She would be lucky if she could move her upper body forward a few centimeters(She is quite petiite too). I am almost positive that my seatbelt mechanism is in perfect running order, if that had anything to do with the strap running short. I have nothing to compare to, but considering that the majority of the Americans driving these export Z's are going to be taller than 5'2" it would make sense economically to save on the material and not make a really long shoulder belt for the inertia wheel. On the other hand, many of the people in Japan would benifit from the longer shoulder strap because more people there are shorter. Maybe there was a longer shoulder strap for the inertia wheels there. I am not an expert on this, and as I said I have nothing to compare to either. Did the home market cars even get inertia wheel seat belt mechanisms? If so what year and were the shoulder straps longer than the export straps? What year was the inertia wheel seat belt implemented on the export cars? I hope I am not overwhelming people with these questions, but just something that I have been thinking about. Thanks Alan for the information you provided. It is always a help. Regards, Ben

You gotta love the license plate on the racing stripe Z. How cool is that? WRC(world rally championship), I would think some subaru or lancer guy would take the license plate number up it a heartbeat. -Ben

Thanks for the info Carl. We should get together some time and talk Z's. Your town is only 5 minutes away from me. Anyways, take care. -Ben

Awe shucks. Oh well, if you ever see a set at a decent price, pm me. They are not that high on my priority list, but I think they are cool looking. I don't need the harnesses either, just the lenses(only the amber ones). Cheers, Ben

I am a big time collector of roughly anything Ztoy. Here is a pic of some of my models. I have not put them together yet. Eventually I will, but for now the boxes look pretty in my cabnet. You guys have some nice collections and good modeling skills. P.S. Some of these models are not that hard to find. Every now and then I see them on ebay and they go for reasonable prices too. Regards, Ben

As far as the judging goes, it really depends on the competition(if this is at a Z show, or any show) and who the judges are(spectators or judges). As mentioned before, they are looking for originality mostly. My car is not in perfect shape or even great shape by any means, but because it is almost 100% original I won at that show. Another factor was that there was not that many 260z's, but there were a few comparable to mine. I have seen some Z's restored to original condition, but they had some not as original looking reproduction parts. Those can be a no no. I try to find really good reproduced parts or originals. I think it would be so hard to do a concours car because the paint and protecting coats all have to be original. I don't know where you would find that stuff, but I haven't looked either. Good luck on the resto's mdbrandy. Bambikiller, you said that no 240's came with factory ac. Do you know if this is true for the 260? I have heard that the 260 was the first year with factory ac, but I am not certain. Thanks, Ben

I am very curious about this myself because my center console is in near perfect shape, but the previous owner(my dad) installed an aftermarket stereo, and I would like to put the orginal back in. Unfortunately, ther is a small hole where the antenna switch is. If I do the swap, the hole must be filled. Yes, please. Any thoughts on this subject would be great. C'mon, for sake of Djacey and I; i am pouting over here. Someone must have done this before. If not, where can I get a cheap and perfect center console for a 260z with manual trans. P.S. The old Hitachi is begging to be reunited once again. It is sitted in an unwelcoming Alpine box in my garage as we speak. P.P.S. Forgive me for the dust that plagues the nooks and crannies. Thanks, Ben

That's correct. -Cheers

This is and was quite a popular thread. I finished reading it yesterday. Quite a bit of info on this one. Great stuff though. Real quick on the hand break(known as the emergency break here). I have never driven a RHD(would love to drive and own one though) so I don't have anything to compare, but the hand brake has never got in my way. You already knew that one. This is off topic, but is an item about interior ergonomics that I have been wondering about for quite some time, but never brought it up. My girlfriend is 5'2" and she doesn't have a problem as much with the seat moving forward enough, but it is the seatbelt that gets here. She is quite small, probably similiar to the build of an average Japanese women. When she puts the drivers seat all the way forward she has a really hard time turning her body around to look behind her because the seatbelt is straining her from moving. Are the seatbelts longer on other import Z's or on the home market Z's or is something just funny about my seatbelt? Take care, Ben

I know what you guys mean about the whole anti-old Z thingie with other people. Many of my friends just don't understand what I see in the old Z's. They say,"well, the old Z is cool, but you like the new one better, right Ben?." I give them the very serious, "uhhh, no." They just don't get it. They think that I am in love with this aweful looking woman, yet I think they are the ones that are wrong because she is the sexiest of them all. Why are cars always referred to as one of the opposite sex??? Oh well. Anyways, the point at hand is that one of my friends dad's who is a major car buff was ecstatic when he found out that I got the Z. I let him drive it, and in that moment it seemed as if it was 1974 again because he had the Z going 85 mph in third and the mile wide smerk on his face was priceless. Not something I have done, but it is one of the highlights I have had with the car. The car buff said that in 1974 he wanted to get a Z, but they were a little out of his price range at the time, so he bought a bright green X1-9. He loved that car. I know how you guys feel about the whole thing with old Z's and the criticism it gets from "car enthusiasts." Those people should realize that the Z paved the road for sports cars to come, especially for all the Japanese sports cars now because without the influence of the Z, being the first affordable GT sports car for the country, the newer cars may not have existed. This could start many new topics, like, people should know their history? Oh well, keep up the great posts. Regards, Ben

The functioning for the US spec Z lights are the same way. At least for my 260z. Regards, Ben

What I am thinking is that these would fit a US spec 260, no? Anyways, is there a way just to remove the lens? Because I want to leave my lights with the wiring harness and only change out the bottom lenses. Would this be possible? If so, I would be interested in this set. PM me. Thanks, Ben

Those are a nice set, but the offset is much too positive for my liking. However they would look good on a Z, but it was have to be a lowered a bit. Nice find though, and so far a very nice price for a set in that shape. Regards, Ben

I am interested but all I went are the amber lenses and I don't think you would just sell those. Regards, Ben

Well said Mark. My apologies. I see that I did stir this thread up a bit, but as you said, we both love the Zcar and the legacy it left behind. From this I only hope that Z enthusiasts such as you, myself, and everyone who loves the Z for that matter to portray the Z as accurately as possible by minusing the falicies that detract from its true history(if that is even possible). I could not agree more with the things that you said Mark. Take care, Ben

mmagnus, I knew what the point of the article was, but in my opinion it was muttled with false information. Also, as far as design, the Z does resemble a bit of a e-type with the long hood and there are some other cues to other cars on parts of the car, but all in all in it is something very unique. The Z may have some european ties, and it was designed with a larger interior to accomodate taller people, but the whole packeage is very Japanese. like I said, stylish, reliable, ergonomical, and compact. Here is a question for you mmagnus. Is the new z or any of the other z's after the first generation worthy of this same treatment in this article? Would non-car enthusiasts still think it was a jag or a prancing horse? I would think not, but I would like to see what you say. The new Z is nice to look at, but I does not remind me of the 1st gen Z at all. People may disagree on this one with me, but I really feel that no matter what Z they make, it will never commemorate the original. Zrush, you say that the z is referred to as the poor mans corvette. I thought that was the opel. Was it the Z too? Also, were all of the sports cars of Japan at the time very small? What about th Toyota 2000gt? Besides its price tag and low production number I don't think it would be referred to as a shoebox. I say this because I have seen one up close, but never sat in one so I could be miskaten. Also, it was made in 1967, not the early 70's. I do agree with you that the Z was ahead of its time. (thought you implied that) Royce, yes the turn signals were not in the valence like the rest of the imports and home market cars for the european spec cars. I believe that the Z on the cover was for a different article. The one for buying a inexpensive sports car at 5000 pounds. I do not have the mag in front of me so I can't tell you right off the bat. Anyways, I am just being an opinionated butt and I am not trying offend anyone. Regards, Ben

Here I am all ready to submit a pic, but this darn mac is not working with me. there is no photoshop and I cannot make the pic small enough with the little edit options it has. Errr. When I can back to school I will use my pc with photoshop. errr. mac. This is a very funny thread. All of you guys and gals have a great sense of humor. I would try to be funny but my picture is not here. Alfa and Gavin, I am pretty young too at 21. How is school going for you guys? Alfa, you are studying to be a dentist correct? Anyways, great thread. I will the post the horrifying soon. Sorry I am so late on the pic. -Ben

Hello Iman, I have a white interior and let me tell you, it is damn near impossible to find parts for. I wouldn't mind getting new door panels and I have never seen any in white, but they are out there. On a better note, the white interior is quite nice looking and it is not hard to keep clean. Take a look at my interior. Oh, and by the way 2manyzs, my carpet is brown and I believe it is original considering that when I purchased the car nothing was replaced, but I am not certain. If you would like more pics just ask. Good luck, Ben

I read the artlicle of the 240z in the classiccar mag today. I found it rather offensive towards the Z to say the least. First of all, the writers went around with this beautiful Z that had the badges taped up and asked people that knew only that a car had four wheels, a few seats, and an engine what they thought of the car. Of course they are going to say something exotic like a Ferrari or a Jag. What they should have done is asked car enthusiasts what they thought of the car compared to other sports cars of the era. Then they had to say that the car was designed by Goertz, the BMW guy. He had less to do with the Z than many think. Nissan put the idea of a sports car on the table in the mid 60's. Goertz designed a car for them, but it never was produced due to how expensive it would be to produce. Matsuo and his team of designers are who should be credited for the design of the Z, not Goertz. Also, many people that do not know much about the Z think that the car is so european. It definately has european influence, but the car is pure Japanese, and I think that is why we all love it whether we know it or not. Its sporty, compact, ergonomical, reliable. etc. Many things european cars of the time did not consist of. The article also talked about how it looked like a million dollars, but did not perform as well as its competitors. Duh, compare it to an e-type or a 365gtb and of course it will be left in the dust. But, compare it to a 911, gt6, mgb, healey, and it will be at the top of its class. All in all, bad article, great pictures of a Z with nice minilite wheels. I don't think that the writers meant wrong when writing the article, but I feel that their information was false. I am not trying to burst anyone's bubble, just laying out my opinion. Regards, Ben

I am with you 2manyZs on the paint, but for 12grand it is a steal for that car. I am a traditionalist when it comes to Z's, but this is probably the cleanest custom Z like this I have seen. What really impressed me about it was the engine compartment. Everything seemed to be set up just right. When I went to the MSA show last year I was talking to the guy that owns this car and he was trying to sell the car for 20grand and no one even asked about the car or even tryed to haggle on the price. Thats the problem with building a trendy custom. I have some good pics of this car in my gallery. I hope it sells. -Ben